and made a
speech; (so would fish now-a-days, if they were not mute;) and the story
is told by a prince, whose lower extremities are turned into black
marble, very convenient, certainly, if he dined out every day, as he had
only his upper toilet to complete. This coincidence appeared to me to
be very curious, and had I had time and opportunity I certainly should
have fried four of these unfortunate fish, to ascertain whether they
were of the real breed spoken of in the Arabian Tales, of the
authenticity of which no one, I presume, will venture to doubt.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

Spa, July 15.
What a curious history might be afforded by Spa and its gaming tables!
When Spa was in its glory, when crowned heads met and dukes were forced
to remain in their carriages for want of accommodation, when it was the
focus of all that was _recherche_ and brilliant, for Spa was so before
the French revolution, the gaming tables were a source of immense
profit; and to whom do you imagine that a great portion of the profits
belonged?--to no less a person than the most sacred and puissant prince,
the Bishop of Liege, who derived a great revenue from them. But it
would appear as if there was a judgment upon this anomalous secular
property, for these gaming-tables were the cause of the Prince Bishop
losing all, and being driven out of his territories. There were two
gaming establishments at Spa, the Redoubt in the town, and the Vauxhall
about a quarter of a mile outside of it. The Redoubt is a fine
building, with splendid ball-rooms and a theatre, but you must go
_through the gaming-rooms_ to enter either the ball-room or the theatre.
The Vauxhall has no theatre, but the rooms are even more spacious; but
when Spa was at its zenith, even these two immense edifices were barely
sufficient for the company. Both these establishments were under the
same proprietors, and it so happened that the English nobility, who were
always a very strong party here, were displeased with the conduct of the
lessees, and immediately raised funds for the building of a second
Vauxhall. The bishop ordered the building to be discontinued, but, as
by the privileges granted by former bishops, this was a violation of the
rights of the Liegeois, his order was disregarded, and the Vauxhall now
known by the name of _the Vauxhall_, was finished. When finished, the
bishop would not permit it to be opened, but